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Sunday, 30 December 2012

Russian Airliner Crash caught on Film

A Russian Tupolev TU-204 overshot its runway & crashed into an embankment on the edge of a freeway. Dramatic video footage captured the moment of impact with the freeway as debris was hurled at cars.

Four crew members onboard the aircraft were killed. These were the two pilots, flight engineer & an air hostess. There were no passengers on board at the time. For more details & photos on the accident:

What is the TU-204?Very few Russian planes ever make it down-under, so notwithstanding the human tragedy, I was naturally curious to know more about the plane. At first I assumed it to be some old Soviet-era rust bucket. I was quite surprised.

From the www.planes.cz picture above, the aircraft appears to be copied off the A321 / B757. A comparison of the aircraft is here: Compare: TU-204 Vs A321.

It is believed that the double bogey gear provided better braking, weight displacement & traction on sub-standard or snow covered runways; typical of those used by the Russian jets. Unfortunately, it doesn't seemed to have helped it in this accident.